Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-01-07


man who merely wants to teach a few
months to make a raise for a temporary
purpose-so long as these and many other
evils exist in the management of our
school system lor rather want Of SYSTEM
we must look for raw recruits and poor
work.
The public school officers OF our county
are men Of perhaps average intelligence
and information. and are good physicians
merchants, mechanics, farmers, business
men-reliable efficient, energctic-each in
the practice and pursuit Of his own pro-
fession or vocation, but some Of them are
not good school men, or managers Of
schools. because each has his own private
business to attend to, and cannot give
his hest attention, Thought, and skill 10
any pnblic interest whose management
paws him nothing. Some Of these officers
who are good, earnest men, are not good
school men-if for no other reason-be.
cause they have not been sufficiently ed
heated in school matters to enable them 70
distinguish between the enectual work
inrs Of a good teacher and the Intellectual
of a poor one.
As evidence that some Of our trustees
are not educated in matters pertaining TO
the best management of our public free
school, we adduce the opinion prevalent
among them, viz: that any one will do TO
teach the school on Pig River, or the one
in Goose Hollow, simply because neither
is well advanced Acting upon this
hypothesis, they employ chap teachers
I. C., persons holding low grade certificates
to "keep" these schools and the result is
these unfavored schools are poorly kept.
Now this is certainly a great mistake and
lust so long as this course is pursued, inst
that long will these schools be behind.
The fact that many Of orr schools are not
well advanced is evidence that there Is
something wrong, and no Doubt the great
wrong has been the employment Of in
competent teachers.
If professional training and an adequate
knowledge of the elementary branches
and the theory and practice Of teaching
as required by law. are Of yaluc any
where it certainly is in the primary
school
If first principles be correctly taught,
and correct habits of thought and speech
he established in You. the great danger is
past For instance, if pupil is taught
properly to read well the first, second,
and third readers, bis future reading Will
take care Of itself
The fact that many Of our country dis
trict schools are not well advanced is also
positive evidence that thepeople generally
do not know the difference between o
good school and a poor one, aud that the
mass of them take less interest in their
children at school than they do with their
horses when they are loaned ont. If a
school iogs along in the well-worn mts
and the children lodge no complaint IT
satisfies its patrons, for the quality Of its
instruction is seldom examined.
The people seem to he contcnted as
long az they are not troubled by com
plants from their precious little angels
and the salaries are low. If, while the
General Assembly had under consideration
the school law, it had put in section
compelling the attendance Of the patrons
two or three days each term of school, we
think a greater interest would be taken
in tho training Of the children, both at
home and in the school-room than now
exists; for it is lamentable fact that in
many of the school districts there is less
attention paid to what is done in school
for the child, or how it is done, than D.
given to guessing from what direction The
wind will blow on tomorrow, or what
kind Of weather may be expected, az
though these were of more importanc'
than the preparation of immortal minds
for their tomorrow Of adult life. School
officers aud patrons must give our public
schools a more earnest support, If they
would have them much improved. NJ
arrangement can ever do away with Tho
necessity for warm and constant interes
on the part of officers and patrons. II
vain will the teacher labor unless the
home lends its hearty co-operaiion-unles
the teacher feels from the home of hi
pupils kindly and steady support.
Again. we cite your attention TO The
very frequent changing Of teachers Il
prove that orr trustees are not well educa
ted in school matters. If they can sue
coed In making our country schools pro
rressive institutions by this mode Of pro
cednre. then we will have nothing NOR
TO say, that's all Permanently in EN-
Moves is an element Of success in an
business, and it is especially so in til
management Of our schools. II take
several months, the way the schools I'll
M. for a new teacher to become thorough
acquainted with his pupils, to learn thei
individual dispositions, adyancementi
ability to acquire knowledge. and man
other thugs concerning them which tn
teacher must know before he can teac
them successfully. Too many of th
trustees fail 70 see the great advantag
that would grow from having the sam
GOOD teacher one term after another q
long as they could keep him, and that h
experience and knowledge Of the peculia
wants of the children of the distri'
would be something that cold not ]
: fonnd with a new teacher. II ~ part
7 owing to the fact that the same ;each'
rarely remains in the same school mo
than one term-at most two consecuii'
, terms-aud that both predecessor ~
successor have entirely different meiho'
/ Of instruction, our country schools q
. kept IN a perfect chaos and this VIII
their condition until our trustees awal
/ to the importance Of retaining all G
a uerieneed and successful teachers at f.
a wages. instead Of trying 10 catch glimp
> of that "tcacher" who will work for &
I, least pay.
d II trustees feel themselves restricted
+ a given sum IN paying the teacher, III
= ought to see that they get the best pos
bic teacher for the money.
Trustees make too little difference in {
n price paid to experienced and inexperieI
\ ed teachers. It is perfectly natural Il